J2Ski Snow Report - October 9th 2025
J2Ski Snow Report - October 9th 2025
Published : 09-Oct-2025 06:33
The Kitzsteinhorn, above Kaprun, Austria, ready to open this weekend...
This week marks the transition from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere, with more ski areas now open in the north. Finland has begun its 25-26 season, while the last ski centres in Argentina and Australia have closed for the year.
The Snow Headlines - October 9th
- More ski areas now open in the northern hemisphere than in the southern.
- Finland's 25-26 season gets underway.
- First snow reported on Eastern European mountains from the Tatras to the Balkans.
- All centres now closed for the 2025 season in Argentina and Australia.
- Skiers attempt to ski thin first cover in Utah.
- Austria has the most centres open of any country, with two more opening this weekend.
- The southern hemisphere season continues in Chile and New Zealand for the final weeks.
Snow forecast for Scandinavia.
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World Overview
It's that point in the year when the tipping point is reached, and the seasons officially switch, with the northern hemisphere now having 13 areas open, about double the total from last week. The southern hemisphere has more than halved to seven centres remaining open in Chile and New Zealand, with most closing this coming Sunday.
As part of this transition, the first centres opened for their 25-26 seasons in Finland, while the last ended their 2025 seasons in Argentina and Australia.
Wintery weather has returned to the northern hemisphere, while the southern hemisphere is experiencing spring. Promising early conditions are reported across many of Europe's mountain ranges, with the first snowfalls recorded in Eastern European ranges, including the Balkans, Carpathians, and Tatras, with snow reported from Slovakia to Bulgaria.
Meanwhile, the southern hemisphere's 2025 season is nearing its end. The last five ski areas in Australia closed last Sunday, claiming it had been one of their best seasons of the 21st century. The final centres open in Argentina have also closed, but about half a dozen centres remain open in Chile and New Zealand, some until later in the month.
Northern Hemisphere
The Alps
We hit double figures for the number of ski areas open in the Alps last weekend, with Austria making up half of the ten glacier centres now open.
All five Austrian areas open to date are in Tirol (Hintertux, Kaunertal, Pitztal, Stubai, Solden), but two more, the first for 25-26 in Salzburgerland (Kitzsteinhorn above Kaprun) and Carinthia (Molltal), will join them this weekend.
The glacier slopes at Zermatt and Saas-Fee in Switzerland remain open, and there is a terrain park on the Schilthorn above Mürren, created with snow saved from last spring.
Italy's Passo Stelvio and Val Senales are the other options, both with just a few kilometres of slopes.
Most areas only have limited terrain open at this early part of the season.
For 15 km/9 miles or more, Hintertux, Saas-Fee, and Zermatt have the most on offer, but more terrain is expected to open quickly, especially in Austria, as centres compete for the early season market.
Conditions have been mixed this week, with snow reported on higher slopes across the Alps, mostly light dustings rather than significant early falls. However, in the east, ski areas in Slovenia and the Dachstein glacier (which no longer offers lift-accessed skiing) posted images of snow lying 15 cm to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches) deep, requiring snow blowers to clear from terraces.
Scandinavia
Wintery and at times stormy weather has been felt across Scandinavia this week, with Norway's Galdhøpiggen glacier reporting fresh snow on its mile or so of slopes.
Most of the region's ski areas have turned white again on their upper slopes.
The main news, however, is that Finland's 25-26 season has started, with Ruka and Levi using snow farming to create several kilometres of pistes each, using last spring's snow stockpiled through summer and spread back out on the slopes.
North America
There remains nowhere open yet in Canada or the United States, but signs are increasingly positive, especially in the west, with more fresh snowfall reported on high slopes in the Rockies, Sierra Nevada, and Pacific Northwest. Some areas have begun snowmaking, but overnight lows have not yet been conducive.
Alaska has reported the first significant 15 cm to 30 cm/6 to 12 inches of snowfalls. There was also measurable snow in the Rockies, particularly from Utah north into Canada.
Skiers were filmed sliding on a few inches of snow at Alta after hiking up.
In the Midwest, Trollhaugen ski area staged a rail jam at the weekend using snow saved through summer under cover from last spring.
Southern Hemisphere
The southern hemisphere's 2025 season is about over, with almost 95% of centres having ended their seasons, including all in Australia, Argentina, and Lesotho. The last resorts open in the former two closed for the season on Sunday.
Four centres remain open in New Zealand, with Whakapapa and Tūroa on Mount Ruapehu on the North Island expected to be the final areas open in the southern hemisphere later this month, potentially continuing to the final Sunday of October.
On the South Island, Mount Hutt and The Remarkables are in the final few days of their seasons, expected to end this Sunday. The weather on both islands has become increasingly springlike, although overnight lows at higher elevations have still dropped below freezing.
Three centres remain open in Chile until this coming Sunday, 12th October, when only Valle Nevado plans to continue for one more week. It still reports its slopes 100% open, while the other two, La Parva and Corralco, are closer to 50%.
Conditions here are springlike too, with clear skies and temperatures largely in the 5°C to 15°C/41°F to 59°F range.
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